William Buck Premier Men’s Round 16 Preview

The whips are cracking in the Finals & Relegation races, and Round 16 features some huge match-ups that will see fortunes rise and fall. Here’s your weekend preview.

UNIVERSITY BLACKS vs UNIVERSITY BLUES (Saturday 2pm – Melbourne University Oval)

As if the University Derby needed any more spice or passion!

Any time the Blacks and Blues lock horns, they end up… well… black and blue, after a ferocious and physical clash for bragging rights at the University.

But this time around, it’s even more important than usual, with the winner to land an enormous body blow on their arch-rival.

If BLACKS WIN – they keep their finals hopes alive, AND potentially send the Blues back down into the drop zone.

IF BLUES WIN – they take a huge step towards safety, AND potentially shatter the Blacks’ finals dream.

This is going to be a beauty!

The Blacks have won 7 of their last 10 and were extremely competitive against SKOB at TH King last week.

The Blues have won 3 of their past 4, breathing life into their fading season by finally nailing a couple of tight finishes against the Bloods and Cardinals over the past fortnight.

The Blacks have won the last 3 University Derbies, including a 35-point victory in Round 3.

Will they make it four in a row, or can the Blues turn the tables when it matters most?

Catch what might be the most passionate game of the year so far with our award-winning SEN Match of the Day coverage, LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au & the SEN app from 1.45pm Saturday.

And if you’re going to the game – TAKE YOUR HEADPHONES/EARBUDS & enjoy our commentary in REAL TIME with no delay as you’re watching the action via our VAFA SEN Stadium technology!

THE RUN HOME:

Uni Blacks:        Uni Blues (H)                                     Old Scotch (H)                                   Old Xaverians (A)

Uni Blues:          Uni Blacks (H)                                    Old Xavs (A)                                       Old Brighton (H)

OLD SCOTCH vs ST BERNARD’S (Saturday 2pm – Camberwell Sportsground)

Rewind a couple of months, and you might have expected this game to be a Finals battle rather than a Relegation scrap.

But both the Cardinals & Snowdogs have hit the wall in 2025, with injuries and/or VFL unavailability taking their toll and sliding them into the race to avoid relegation.

The reigning champs have dropped 4 in a row after winning 4 of 5 mid-season. They suddenly find themselves at risk of being leapfrogged into the danger zone with a fortnight to play. They may regain some VFL guns in another week or two, but they could desperately use a steadying win right now to take relegation off the table.

Four points here would just about ensure their safety, given they’d be a game-and-a-half clear of the Dogs (plus percentage) with two games to play.

Meanwhile, St Bernard’s has lost 5 of their last 6 to slide into the bottom 2. Cruelled by injury, can they find a way to dust themselves off and land a fighting win that would lift them out of the relegation zone, at least temporarily?

This game appears to be their best chance of snatching another 4 precious points, before facing two finals contenders in the last fortnight: –

THE RUN HOME:

Old Scotch:        St Bernard’s (H)                                Uni Blacks (A)                          Old Haileybury (A)

St Bernard’s:     Old Scotch (A)                                   Old Haileybury (H)                  St Kevin’s (H)

Catch this high-stakes clash LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.55pm Saturday!

OLD HAILEYBURY vs ST KEVIN’S (Saturday 2pm – Princes Park)

It’s fourth hosting third in what could be a preview of the First Semi-Final in a few weeks, should the ladder remain in its current order.

The Bloods are the big watch in Premier Men’s right now. They have been the success story of the season after rising back up from their Premier B premiership to be on the verge of finals, but their last six weeks haven’t been as strong as their early-season form.

Losses to the Top 2 and a stacked Old Scotch are understandable. But their 12-point loss to Uni Blues in Round 14, followed by a solid but far from convincing win over De La Salle last week, indicates Old Haileybury are well below their best – coach Daniel Ward knows it, and is asking his charges for a lift.

This would be the perfect week to rise to the occasion, as they host an in-form SKOB at Princes Park.

With leading goalkicker Andreas Stefanakis back from suspension and causing havoc (6 goals last week), they have the weapons to trouble the perennial contenders, who are headed for their 7^th consecutive finals campaign.

St Kevin’s are just going about their business as St Kevin’s tends to do. Ticking off the wins, tinkering with their game and timing their run to peak come September. They’ve won 5 on the trot, including a fantastic victory over Old Brighton in Round 12.

They would love to get one back on the Bloods, who rolled them by a couple of goals at TH King in Round 7, and effectively lock away third spot.

But Old Haileybury will be desperate – they have more on the line here. The big question is: can they convert that desperation into execution and bank four points that may, subject to Blacks-Blues, punch their finals ticket?

THE RUN HOME:

Old Haileybury:     St Kevin’s (H)                            St Bernard’s (A)                               Old Scotch (H)

St Kevin’s:               Old Haileybury (A)                   De La Salle (H)                                  St Bernard’s (A)

COLLEGIANS vs OLD XAVERIANS (Saturday 2 pm – Harry Trott Oval)

Two traditional powerhouse teams that have trodden very different paths in 2025 meet again at Harry Trott.

Collegians have been in A-Grade since 2007 but have found themselves in the unusual position of fighting for survival this season.

They have been a far more competitive team than their ladder position suggests, but too often they’ve been in games deep into the final term without coming away with the points to show for it.

Their first half of the season was as frustrating as anyone’s (even the Blues!) as they dropped three games by 7 points or less.

But since the midway point, they’ve registered 3 wins and a draw from their 6 matches, with one of their two losses coming to SKOB by just 4 points at TH King in another game they could have won.

The last 6 weeks are good form, but they also now find themselves facing the Top 2 teams in the next fortnight, which is why last week’s gutsy win over the Snowdogs was so critical. It lifted them out of the drop zone by percentage ahead of the Dogs, and, with De La to come in the final round, it has given them a genuine chance of surviving.

If they can go all out over the next two weeks and beat one of the Top 2 teams, it might give them some vital breathing space and ease the pressure somewhat come the final round.

Old Xavs will roll into Albert Park stung by their 8-game losing streak being snapped in no uncertain terms by the Tonners last week. It cost them top spot, and potentially the minor premiership, given Old Brighton are now a game clear with 3 to play.

That won’t concern Coach Dan Donati, given there is no difference between finishing first or second, and Xavs are all but certain to claim a Top 2 position.

What he will be concerned about is that one loss doesn’t turn into two right before the finals. He will be eager for his team to get back to their best footy and make a statement against the Lions, sending a message to other contenders in the process.

Xavs will start as hot favourites, but we’ve seen Collegians stretch SKOB twice, beat the Cardinals twice and the Blacks once.

They may not have the raw strike power of the Xavs, but they have X-Factor talent such as Alex Lukic and Dylan Thomas, who are capable of turning a game in a hurry. Throw in midfield warriors such as Max Pinchbeck, and you just never know.

And don’t underestimate the power of fighting for survival.

THE RUN HOME:

Collegians:            Old Xavs (H)                            Old Brighton (A)                              De La Salle (H)

Old Xaverians:      Collegians (A)                          Uni Blues (H)                                   Uni Blacks (H)

Enjoy this one streaming LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.55pm Saturday!

DE LA SALLE vs OLD BRIGHTON (Saturday 2pm – Waverley Oval)

The final game of the round is a top-versus-bottom clash as the Tonners visit De La at Waverley Oval.

The Tonners have moved into the box seat to grab back-to-back minor premierships, but Coach Marcel Bruin will be wary of remaining focused in the run to September as they face teams who would love to claim a signature win over the competition benchmark.

Although still without a win in 2025, De La Salle has been widely praised by opposition coaches week after week for their ability to dominate parts of games with genuinely impressive football. Keeping that control and maximising the damage they do on the scoreboard during those moments has been their biggest challenge.

But, unlike every other team in the competition, they can run out each week with nothing to lose – and that makes them dangerous.

They can take a risk, be extremely aggressive with their positioning and ball movement, take a few liberties, and push into dangerous spots at crucial times, knowing that losing has no consequences other than its inherent disappointment. Other teams don’t have that luxury – errors at this point in the season can have disastrous consequences.

De La’s first challenge is to stay in the game. Hang around long enough, and they start to make teams nervous. And nervous teams play tight. Playing tight leads to mistakes. And mistakes lead to upsets.

The Tonners will be overwhelming favourites, as every top versus bottom team should be.

But if De La can hang around and challenge for long enough…

THE RUN HOME:

De La Salle:            Old Brighton (H)                               St Kevin’s (A)                                      Collegians (A)

Old Brighton:         De La Salle (A)                                   Collegians (H)                                    Uni Blues (A)

WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 16

SATURDAY AUGUST 16 – 2pm:

University Blacks       vs             University Blues                   VAFA.com.au & SEN app – 1.45pm

Old Scotch                 vs             St Bernard’s                           VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm

Collegians                   vs             Old Xaverians                       VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm

Old Haileybury            vs             St Kevin’s

De La Salle                  vs             Old Brighton           

Watch matches on-demand on VAFATV

Amateur Footballer Record – Week 17